


dig two graves

by nilchance



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, accidental misgendering, dead aunts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 03:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8693842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilchance/pseuds/nilchance
Summary: Kravitz and Taako didn't meet the first time in the Crystal Kingdom.





	

When Kravitz arrives to collect a soul, with scythe and terrible visage, he's used to a certain reaction. Cowering, perhaps, or pleading.

 

In short, he's not prepared for a small elf moppet to throw a rock at him.

 

It's a good sized rock. It bounces harmlessly off, of course, but Kravitz is thrown from his game.

 

"Fuck off," the kid says. His voice is raspy with smoke from the ruined, burning village around them. He has a woman's corpse cradled to his chest. There are long tracks in the dirt where he dragged her. "I'll mess you up."

 

Kravitz blinks. The boy is small for a high elf. Gawky and underfed. Exhausted and shocky. No magic to speak of. But he threw a rock at a grim reaper.

 

Sighing, Kravitz pulls back the hood of his cloak. "What's your name?"

 

The boy narrows his eyes. "You ever heard of stranger danger?"

 

"I'd like to know the name of the man who's going to, quote, mess me up."

 

A long moment passes. Then the boy says, "They call me Bob the Mighty. "

 

"I see. Well met, Bob. I'm here for Pollo Ta--"

 

Any thawing Bob may have done is instantly gone. "That's not her name. That's a guy's name and she's not one, she changed it to Corona. How the hell dumb are you? You can't even read her fucking name right!"

 

Kravitz inclines his head. "My mistake. I’m sorry. Corona is gone. She's been gone. She died about an hour ago." A stab wound to the stomach, puncturing the bowel. If the shock hadn't finished her, then blood poisoning would have. It had probably been an agonizing death, and the boy had watched. "You know that, don't you."

 

"I'll bring her back, " Bob says. "People do that. I can figure it out. "

 

Untrained and young as the boy is, looking into those feral eyes, Kravitz believes him. "Rather cruel thing to do to a woman who died for you."

 

Bob smiles. There are no hairs to raise on Kravitz's nape, no flesh in him to be chilled, and yet...

 

"I can't let you do that," Kravitz says.

 

"You gonna kill me? " Bob asks. His voice cracks. "Go on and kill me. I don't mind."

 

Brave child. Unnerving child. Kravitz sighs and goes to one knee so as to meet Bob's eyes. "It isn't your time. You have things to do. A world to terrorize, probably."

 

Bob looks at him for a long minute. There are tears in his eyes, reflecting back the village burning its last around them, but he doesn't cry. His arm tightens around Corona's body, his fist clenching in her tattered jacket. Almost casual, he says, "Amigo, one day I'm going to kill you for this."

 

"I believe you," Kravitz says. "But it won't be today. "

 

Then he takes Corona and is gone.

 

###

 

Years pass. There are wars and plagues, accidents and stillbirths, a thousand small tragedies that ultimately mean nothing. People die every day.

 

Kravitz almost manages to forget.

 

###

 

Through the tangle of black tentacles, Kravitz really sees Taako for the first time. The pictures in Taako's file and their first hectic encounter did him no justice.

 

Taako blazes like an inferno in the chaos he's making, a monster in a ridiculous pink protective suit. He's raw power aimed indiscriminately. He's almost too bright to look at. In an awful irony, he resembles a corona.

 

The gawky orphan has burned away, but oh, Kravitz knows him now.

 

"Hey, thug, " Taako calls. His lilting accent sounds like laughter. "What's your name? I'm about to tentacle your dick!"

 

He's beautiful.

 

Kravitz thinks, _well, shit._


End file.
